Two Halifax men ordered to repay a total of over £750,000 (1 May 2018)

Two Halifax men who in August 2016 were jailed for 9 years each
have been ordered to repay £381,295.86 and £383,070.86 respectively
under Proceeds of Crime Act legislation.

Aamer Ali, 34, denied one count of conspiracy to handle stolen
goods, one count of entering or becoming concerned in a money
laundering arrangement and two counts of unauthorised use of a
trade mark at his criminal case nearly two years ago.

Naveed Zaman, 32 denied one count of conspiracy to handle stolen
goods, five counts of entering or becoming concerned in a money
laundering arrangement and two counts of possessing criminal
property.

But the punishment didn't end with their criminal convictions -
and they now have three months to repay £381,295.86 and 383,070.86
respectively. If they fail to pay they both face an additional four
years in prison. The debt will never be cleared until paid in
full.

The hearing took place yesterday (Monday 30 April) at Sheffield
Crown Court.

Ramona Senior head of the Economic Crime Unit at West Yorkshire
Police said: "This confiscation was following a lot of hard work by
the team to establish by how much Ali and Zaman had gained from
their criminal activity and what assets they had available to
satisfy the confiscation orders.

"It is another success for the team - so the officers involved
in the criminal trial succeeded in getting them jailed for a long
time and now on top of that they also face having to repay a large
sum of money - something that criminals really hate.

"Once Ali and Zaman repay this money some will go to the victims
and the rest will be shared between the ministry of justice, the
Crown Prosecution Service, H M Court Service, West Yorkshire Police
and the Police and Crime Commissioner, who will reinvest these
funds in supporting community projects and operational policing
initiatives."

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire's Police and Crime
Commissioner, said: "West Yorkshire Police have done a fantastic
job of ensuring crime didn't pay for Ali and Zaman. Thanks to the
hard work of the police and prosecutors some of this recovered
money will now go towards my Safer Communities Fund which gives out
grants of up to £5000 to community projects. This money makes a
real difference and goes towards initiatives such as safeguarding
vulnerable people and tackling crime and anti-social-behaviour to
name but a few."